Abstract: An apparatus for substantially eliminating excessive edge growth in liquid phase epitaxy utilizing a substrate carrier 11 and a source material carrier 13 slidable over the substrate carrier 11 including a well 24 around a recess 14 in the substrate carrier 11 wherein the substrate 16 is held. The well 24 contains a material therein which reduces the heat loss from the edges of the substrate 16 held in the recess 14 thereby reducing excessive epitaxial growth around the edges of the substrate 16.

Abstract: A method of growing a semiconductor layer by liquid phase epitaxy utilizing a slide type apparatus comprising a substrate carrier having a recess for holding a substrate and a source material carrier slidably arranged over the surface of the substrate carrier and including a well around the recess, comprises the steps of filling said well with material selected from a thermally insulating material and a material which is molten at the temperature of crystal growth and then cycling the temperature of the apparatus in a manner so as to form an epitaxial layer on a substrate in the recess which layer is essentially free of excess edge growth.

Abstract: A thermal gradient zone melting technique is provided for eliminating distortion of the migrated metal pattern by including a peripheral ring of the metal adjacent the edge of the semiconductor wafer.